Data input or data entry involves tedious and repetitive efforts. Personnel involved in data entry typically are measured by metrics involving number of forms completed, number of keystrokes, and number of errors over a period of time. Whether this period of time is a day or an hour, the actual work involved is typically subject to errors due to lack of intellectual stimulation.
Time spent entering data often detracts from time that may be spent on more productive activity, such as helping customers, communicating with other employees, or analyzing information for example. Moreover, time spent correcting errors occurring during data entry compounds the problem, as it detracts from other activities, and is required as a result of the data entry process. Thus, any opportunity to save time in the data entry process may be useful. Moreover, opportunities to reduce effort spent by data entry personnel will typically be appreciated by such personnel. Additionally, improvements in error rates have compound benefits in terms of time spent entering data and time spent correcting data.
Part of data entry often involves entering the same information multiple times. For example, a client name may be used as part or all of a client identifier. Similarly, a billing address and a shipping address may be used as separate fields but have identical content. In such instances, eliminating the need to enter information twice may be useful.